But the surprise was not so much in the passing, as in the fact that two Florida Republicans in the House cast “nay” votes, which is almost unheard of.
The two resolutions were almost identical-but the Senate added one phrase that went beyond traditional new year’s greeting and voiced support for freedom of expression in Iran.
Congratulatory resolutions are approved by the hundreds by the Congress. The Now Ruz resolution in the House was just one of four such feel-good resolutions approved last Monday night, five days in advance of Now Ruz. The other three passed by unanimous votes of 389-0 to recognize the Washington State University Honors College, 384-0 to congratulate the winners of the Voice of Democracy national scholarship program, and 392-0 to recognize the 125th anniversary of the University of Arizona.
But the Now Ruz resolution, H. Res. 267, passed 384-2, with Reps. Jeff Miller and Bill Posey casting the negative votes. Neither of them spoke on the floor or issued any statement explaining the unusual nay votes. Both are conservative Republicans from Florida, Miller from the Pensacola area and Posey’s district taking in Cape Canaveral and the region southwest of it. Miller last month issued a news release boasting that a recent ranking showed him to be the 12th most conservative member of the House.
The Senate resolution, S. Res. 463, passed this Monday, the day after Now Ruz. It appeared to be almost an afterthought. It was only introduced Monday and then called up hours later and passed in an almost empty chamber that was conducting minor business. No one spoke to the resolution and it passed in about 50 seconds.
The resolution recounts some of the traditions and history of the holiday and then concludes:
“Resolved, that the Senate-
“(1) recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Now Ruz;
“(2) encourages the peaceful observance of the Now Ruz holiday in Iran, and strongly supports the right of Iranians to exercise freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech;
“(3) expresses its appreciation for the contributions of Iranian-Americans to society in the United States in observance of Now Ruz; and
“(4) wishes Iranian-Americans and the people of Iran and all those who observe this holiday a prosperous new year.”
The Senate and House resolutions were identical except that paragraph Number 2 in the Senate resolution was added.
The original resolution was sponsored in the House by Rep. Mike Honda, Democrat of California. He introduced the resolution last year, but produced it too late for passage before the 2009 Now Ruz holiday, so it was held over for action this year.
Only two House members spoke on the resolution-Honda, a Japanese-American congressman from Santa Clara, south of San Francisco, and Judy Biggert, a Republican from Illinois, whose district in the suburbs south of Chicago may best be noted as the home of the McDonald’s Hamburger University.
The first congressional resolutions on Now Ruz come just two weeks after the UN General Assembly passed its first resolution in history on Now Ruz as well.
While the U.S. Congress and UN General Assembly resolutions point to formal and high level recognition, few members of the public are even aware of such resolutions, which are churned out by legislative bodies in large numbers. But the Iran Times noted more daily newspapers in the United States carrying more prominent news stories about the holiday this year. It is that kind of attention that will make more Americans aware of what Now Ruz is all about.
The full text of the House and Senate resolutions may be seen by going to http://thomas.loc.gov, typing “h. res. 267” or “s. res. 463” in the search box in the middle of the screen, and ticking the “Bill Number” button.
